


back to you

by getreadyforabrokenfknarm



Category: Cricket RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:21:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22487017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/getreadyforabrokenfknarm/pseuds/getreadyforabrokenfknarm
Summary: The one where Sam is oblivious, Rory is a terrible friend, and Jade is shirtless.
Relationships: Sam Billings/Rory Burns
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i started this fic nearly two years ago and never posted it. 
> 
> enjoy my favourite rarepair from 2018. 
> 
> xx

Sam was drastically running out of time, not only to find someone who he was romantically interested in, but someone who was romantically interested in _him_.

He had dragged Rory to as many bars, clubs and pubs as Google Maps had provided him in an attempt to find himself a man he found attractive.

It was getting quite ridiculous, and Rory was starting to irritate him. Over the course of the past week, Sam had taken Rory out to six different establishments, only to be hit on by three women whom Sam politely told that he wasn’t interested, one man who appeared to be at least forty, and a young, attractive man his age, whom he realised just in time was a boy he knew from high school.

_Rory_ , however, had so far been seen kissing, grinding up against, or buying drinks for a grand and running total of eight guys; all of whom were extremely attractive.

It made Sam’s blood boil that Rory had the nerve to pull men when the whole point of their outings was to find Sam a date. At this rate, he was never going to find a partner to take to his cousin’s wedding.

The wedding was tomorrow, and Rory had recommended a new club that was only a short walk from his house. Sam had looked it up on the internet and it looked rather questionable but given his desperation, he was willing to give it a go.

\-------

The seediness of the club would have been visible from space, and if Sam wasn’t sceptical already, the notably _male_ partygoers in the line to enter along with the pride flags, gave the type of establishment away. He turned to Rory, shocked and embarrassed.

“Rory, mate, this is a gay bar,” Sam grimaced, humiliated to be seen in the line for such a place.

Rory smirked, raising an eyebrow at him. “Well, Sammy my darling, you do realise that you’re _gay_.”

Sam sighed, defeated. He supposed Rory wasn’t exactly _wrong_ , and that if he was at any chance of finding a man to pretend to be his boyfriend (or even to be his _real_ boyfriend), then there was really no better place.

He looked up at Rory, pursing his lips. “Okay, so long as you promise not to get with any guys.”

Rory sighed, barely disguising his disappointment. “I can’t promise that, Sammy. I’m just _that_ irresistible.” He smirked at Sam, slinging his arm around Sam’s shoulder and pressing a light kiss to the top of the younger man’s head.

\------

Upon entering, Sam was immediately affronted by the frankly absurd amount of glitter adorning the walls, floor, ceiling, and even more alarmingly, the _people_. He felt decidedly out of place.

Sam looked over at Rory and noticed that he was wearing an equally apprehensive facial expression. Rory turned to him, warily. “Fancy a drink?” He yelled over the music, leaning into Sam, before giving a dirty look to a shirtless man who had drunkenly stumbled into him.

Looking determinedly at the bar to avoid staring at anyone, he nodded stoically. “I think I’m going to need it,” Sam shouted, following Rory towards the bartender.

He frowned slightly and turned to Rory, about to open his mouth and make a comment about the bartender being the only woman in the room. However, as he approached the counter he realised that in fact, she was a drag queen. Sam giggled to himself, shaking his head slightly at his mistake.

Sam’s head shot up sharply when he heard Rory speak. “Four tequila shots please,” Rory put on his best attempt at a flirty smile. “And keep the change,” he winked. A laugh escaped Sam’s lips; he’d actually _winked_ at the bartender. His mind backtracked, however, to Rory’s order.

“Wait, Rory, mate. It’s like nine-thirty,” he looked over uneasily at his friend. Rory was known for severely overestimating how much alcohol it took him to get drunk, and Sam knew that at the rate they were going, they’d be passed out in the gutter by eleven.

Rory smirked at him, snaking an arm around his waist and running a hand through Sam’s hair. “Sammy boy, you need to loosen up a little! We’ll never find you a man if you’re this uptight,” Rory declared, removing himself from his position wrapped around Sam to lean over to the bar and pass Sam one of the little plastic shot glasses, before taking one for himself.

Sam looked down at the glass, and spent a long moment attempting to reassess his life. What on earth was he doing in a gay bar? He sighed dramatically and looked over at Rory.

“Cheers, Sammy,” he exclaimed with a bright smile; his eyes sparkling. Rory held up his tiny shot glass to tap Sam’s, before downing the entire drink. Sam watched his neck as he swallowed, feeling slightly dazed as though he was drunk already. Rory winced from the sharp taste of the drink, scrunching his eyes up with a giggle. Sam suddenly remembered his own drink, and quickly brought it up to his lips before swallowing the liquid in one go. It burned his throat, but he wanted more.

Almost without looking, he picked his other shot up from the bar, and looked at Rory who had done the same. This time it was Sam’s turn to be the hero, and he raised his drink towards Rory, smiling clumsily, before drinking the harsh liquid and wincing. He put the tiny disposable shot glass back down onto the bar with far more force than he had expected, and looked at his hand, shocked, before Rory covered it with his own and brought it between them, slipping their fingers together.

Rory gave him a soft smile, and the alcohol combined with the pulsating music made Sam’s heart jump out of his skin. Rory drunk the shot, putting the glass back onto the counter far more delicately than Sam had managed.

\------

Kanye and tequila were making Sam dizzy, and Rory’s fingers were hot intertwined with his as he was dragged over to the dance floor where glistening, sweaty bodies kissed, moved and grinded up against each other to the beat of the music.

Rory turned to face Sam, surrounded by men dusted in glitter, hair stuck to their foreheads as they danced. He wrapped an arm around Sam’s waist, pulling him in close. Hesitant and slightly tipsy, Sam rested his head on Rory’s shoulder, running his hand over his friend’s bicep. His skin felt hot under Sam’s fingers as Rory swayed slightly, a dance unfitting for the heavy music.

Rory moved suddenly away, and Sam felt cold from the loss of contact. He leaned in to whisper in Sam’s ear. “Just going to find the bathroom, be back in a sec.”

Sam nodded slowly, feeling naked and exposed as he watched Rory move through the crowds of people towards the bathroom. He jumped as he felt a hand snake around his waist. Turning around suddenly, Sam was met with a tall, tanned, tattooed man; notably less glittery than many of the other men in the club, however still not wearing a shirt.

The man’s face turned into one of shock, and Sam held his breath willing the earth to swallow him up at that moment. “ _Sam?”_ Jade breathed out, huffing out a surprised laugh. Jade removed his arm from around Sam’s waist with haste.

Sam looked down at his shoes, scuffing them against the ground to avoid speaking to his teammate.

“Wait, I had no idea you were gay,” Jade noted, frowning slightly.

Sam smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Well, now you do, I suppose,” he replied, finally lifting his head. Jade jerked his thumb over to the bar, where the floor was less packed with people. 

Sam followed numbly but breathed out a sigh of relief when he spotted Rory walking back from the bathroom. He waved his friend over, cocking his head to the side to indicate the presence of Jade.

“Wait, he’s here too?” Jade asked, confused. He furrowed his brows, staring unashamedly at Rory. “ _Wait, he’s gay too?_ ” Jade continued to open and close his mouth in shock, as though he was trying to say something, but thought better of it. Sam was strongly reminded of a goldfish.

Rory made his way over to the two of them, and Sam was surprised to see that he didn’t look anywhere near as awkward as Sam had.

“Um, I left some guy waiting for me… I’d better go…” Jade trailed off with an awkward smile, and Sam and Rory shared a look behind Jade’s back.

As soon as Jade was out of earshot, Rory and Sam erupted into fits of laughter. “Did you know he was gay?” Rory asked him, still laughing slightly. Sam shook his head, breathing heavily and smiling widely.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow you only thought you were getting one chapter today? 
> 
> u rong 
> 
> enjoy xx

Rory had decided for Sam that more drinks were in order and had convinced Sam whilst in the line for the bar that there was truly no better drink than a Jaegerbomb. Sam hadn’t had one in years, but figured he’d be very happy to do anything that meant that Rory wasn’t off with some other bloke on the dance floor.

Finally reaching the front of the line, Sam and Rory stood pressed against the wooden bar by the drunk, stumbling men behind impatiently lining up for their drinks. Neither man was feeling the effects of their first two shots very much just yet, but they knew that the Jaegerbombs might be what tips them over the edge.

Sam yelled over the thumping bass that he would like “Um, two Jaegerbombs please?” And held up two fingers to the bartender.

“Sure, sweetie. Five quid please,” she said loudly, smiling with heavily painted, pink lips. Sam fumbled through his wallet for a ten-pound note and handed it to the bartender. She brought him the change and fixed the drinks quickly. Sam watched in fascination as she poured the two shots of Jaeger, dropping them into the glasses of Red Bull. He pushed one drink along the counter slightly to Rory, and then gestured towards the smoking area outside. Rory nodded and followed him.

“You’re never going to find a man if you sit out here with me the whole time,” Rory commented, pushing the door open for them to head outside.

Sam took a deep breath and immediately regretted it, inhaling what was almost entirely cigarette smoke. He coughed and Rory giggled.

“Back inside, mate?” Laughed Rory. Sam nodded, still doubled over and coughing. He did a u-turn, and went back into the crowded, noisy bar.

“Before we go anywhere, we need to drink these,” Rory raised his voice over the music. Sam nodded, having mostly finished his coughing fit. Rory touched his glass to Sam’s and they both downed their drinks in one mouthful. Sam could feel the sweetness of the Red Bull on his tongue, barely even tasting the sharp alcohol.

Both men put their glasses down on a nearby table and Rory turned back to face Sam, grabbing both his hands.

“Dance,” he stated. It was not a question but rather an instruction. Before Sam could even respond, Rory had let go of one of his hands and was using the other to drag Sam the short distance to the dance floor.

The song had changed to something a bit less bubble-gum pop; a rock beat filled the room. Sam didn’t know the song but he definitely liked it.

Rory pulled him through the outer few layers of the dance floor, heading in the direction of the stage on which the DJ was performing. Before he could get too far, however, Sam felt a hand on his shoulder and a shot glass being shoved into his hand. He turned his head to see exactly what he expected. Jade, alone, trying to carry three full shot glasses in one hand through a crowded dance floor (and doing a surprisingly good job of it). Jade smiled lazily at him and handed Rory one of the shots. Rory rolled his eyes, but there was no hiding that he was grateful for the drink. He was still overwhelmed by the sheer amount of glitter and semi-naked men, and knew that he would need alcohol to relieve his anxieties. Sam looked at the other two men hesitantly before bringing the tiny glass up to his lips and letting the tequila burn his tongue and throat. He felt himself get bumped by a couple making out passionately next to him.

Sam collected his friends’ glasses and took them to the bar.

It was the thing about tequila, Sam thought – it takes a few minutes before it kicks in, so you think you’re fine after drinking it. So, you drink more of it because you think you’re fine, and then quite quickly, you realise you're definitely not fine. As he brought his phone out of his pocket to check the time, Sam realised quickly that he was verging on being closer to ‘not fine’ than ‘fine.’ He put his phone away but then brought it out again, rolling his eyes, as he realised he hadn’t actually read what the time was.

10:14pm. That’s all? Sam felt like he’d been there for hours, but it’d only been around forty-five minutes.

He slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket and turned towards the dance floor to find his friends. He spotted Jade’s perfectly styled, dark hair quite close to the stage, and with his hands pressed together pointing outwards in front of him, Sam began to push his way towards Jade.

Sam was looking directly in front of his hands as he moved through the sea of sweaty, moving bodies in the direction of Jade. The pulsating music had begun to make Sam feel slightly dizzy, and he knew he had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other in order to reach his destination.

Sam stopped behind Jade and looked up at him.

He did a quick scan around Jade for Rory but couldn’t see him. Figuring he’d simply gone to the bathroom, Sam edged closer to Jade realising quickly that his friend had arms wrapped around his waist. Even though Sam could only see the back of him, he knew that Jade’s head was bent down forwards in the all-too-familiar way he’d seen Rory do virtually every other time they went clubbing together.

Sam sniggered to himself. Well done Jade mate, he thought. Sam edged around them so as not to disturb Jade’s moment, but to see what the guy his friend was kissing looked like.

It was virtually impossible to move around on the dance floor, and he almost tripped over someone’s foot as he stumbled his way past Jade and his new-found friend.

Sam’s vision was getting gradually blurrier, and he had to seriously concentrate to focus on looking at this man.

The man had dark brown hair, which is what Jade had mentioned regularly was his preference on women. And apparently men, now, too. Sam laughed to himself at the thought; he was still shocked at this realisation of Jade’s sexuality.

The man’s fair skin contrasted Jade’s, and Sam could see the side of a pair of big, slightly dorky glasses.

There was something wrong here.

Sam closed his eyes, screwing them up tightly. After a few seconds he opened them and saw exactly what was wrong.

Sam couldn’t feel anything.

The music that was once so deafening was now just a low beat coursing through his body. His head swum and his heart was pounding out of his chest. But Sam couldn’t feel any of it.

Sam looked down at his shoes and felt the world spin around him. Everyone’s faces were out of focus.

He stood still.

A sudden bump brought Sam back to reality, and a man smiled at him apologetically. Sam tried to smile in return but the man had turned away.

A wave of anger rushed over Sam and his hands began to shake.

He did the only thing he could think was right: he turned and he ran.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> not all the updates will be this quick, don't get your hopes up 
> 
> enjoy xx

The chill of the Autumn night’s wind hit Sam like a truck. He screeched to a halt outside the club, and a few glances came his way from the glittery patrons lining up to be allowed into the club.

Sam ignored them and continued to run. The night breeze whipped through his jacket and he had no idea where he was running to.

His brain was foggy and all he could feel was his feet hitting the cobblestoned pavement.

He screeched to a holt at traffic lights, and a moment of clarity allowed Sam to realise which direction he was going: the way to Rory’s apartment.

Sam didn’t live in London. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time, realising it was probably too late to book a hotel room at such short notice.

He put his phone back into his jacket pocket and felt something cold and metal in there: the spare set of keys Rory had given him to his apartment, should Sam ever get lost.

Sam sighed, realising suddenly that the crossing light had turned green. He wrapped his arms around himself, shielding from the chilly air, and walked with his head down the few blocks to Rory’s apartment.

His hand fumbled with the key in the main door to the building, and he huffed in exasperation when he realised he’d used the wrong key. Fiddling, he shakily put the other key in the lock and turned the door handle, walking into the relative warmth of the ground floor of Rory’s apartment building.

Sam knew the building like the back of his hand, and he blindly turned left and walked up the one flight of stairs to Rory’s front door. Unlocking and entering, Sam pulled his wallet, phone and keys out of his trouser pocket, dumped them on the kitchen bench, and clambered straight onto the living room couch.

This was exactly where Rory found him half an hour later, asleep on his front with his head turned to the side, and the slightest glisten of tear tracks down those pale cheeks.

\---

_*Beep*_

_“Hi, this is Sam! I’m busy at the moment, so please leave a message and I’ll be able to return your call! Thanks.”_

Rory sighed, drunk and frustrated. He was leant up against the side of his apartment building, having rung Sam at least five times. Rory had looked everywhere for him at the club, and neither him nor Jade had any luck finding him.

\---

It was very unlike Sam to leave a venue without him, or at least without letting him know, but Rory asked the bouncer anyway if he’d seen anyone matching Sam’s description outside the bar.

“Oh yeah, blond fella? Bit of a ‘posh wanker’ look about ‘im?” The bouncer had asked Rory, in a distinctly Cockney accent. Rory raised his eyebrows at the description of Sam but conceded that the bouncer must have been talking about the right person.

Rory nodded, his mouth tight-lipped with worry. “Yeah, I guess so, did you see where he went?”

“Th’ bloke went that way,” the bouncer pointed one of his intimidatingly muscly arms to his left, and Rory knew this was the direction of his apartment. He sighed in relief. “Looked like he was on a mission, to be ‘onest. Came out all looking scared out of his mind, then sprinted away like he was bloody Usain Bolt, or somethin’.” Rory thanked him hesitantly, and the bouncer turned back and continued scanning the ID of those waiting in the line.

Rory was extremely confused. What was Sam scared of? And why was he running?

He’d waved goodbye to Jade, (who waved distractedly back with the hand that wasn’t wrapped around a short, sandy haired man’s waist) and stepped fully outside the bar, his head spinning as he pulled his jacket tighter over him and began to dial Sam’s phone number.

_*Beep*_

_“Hi, this is Sam!”_ Rory interrupted Sam’s voicemail message with a groan of frustration and pressed the hang up button on his phone. 

Rory pocketed his phone and felt for his keys to make sure they were there and began to walk with haste to his apartment with a frown etched subconsciously on his brow.

\----

It was a short walk to his apartment and Rory knew the way comfortably, but somehow it felt like years before he was trudging up the stairs, keys in his hand ready to unlock his apartment.

A cool flash of sobering terror rocketed through Rory when he noticed that his door was not locked, but his heart rate slowed slightly when he realised that it was likely Sam had simply forgotten to lock the door after he entered.

Rory pushed the door open slightly, and his brow furrowed as he realised that none of the lights had been turned on. He waited a moment, still as a statue, until he heard the faintest of snores coming from the living room.

Rory let out a relieved breath that he hadn’t realised he’d be holding in. A slight smile came to rest on his lips, and he tried to close the door gently behind him. However, Rory didn’t realise his strength as he was still a little tipsy and he accidentally pushed the door too hard, slamming it shut with a loud bang.

Cringing at the noise, he placed his hand on the door as though willing it to stay quiet. Rory stood there for a moment and was still able to hear Sam’s soft snores echoing through the pitch-black apartment. Rory laughed slightly to himself at his friend’s ability to sleep through almost everything.

So as not to disturb Sam further by turning the lights on, Rory used the torch on his phone to navigate himself through his apartment to where his sleeping friend was laying on his front on the couch, fully clothed with even his shoes still on, head tilted towards Rory. Even in the dimmest of light from his phone, Rory could see the shimmer of a tear in the corners of Sam’s eyes.

Rory’s heart skipped a beat and he gulped down a lump in his throat. Maybe the bouncer had been right, he thought. Had someone said something to Sam that had upset him? Had someone come up to him and criticised his cricketing ability? Did someone touch him inappropriately on the dance floor and he was upset about it?

A million questions ran through Rory’s head and he hated the thought of every single one of them.

Did he do something to upset Sam? Did he buy him a drink he didn’t like? Rory was struggling to think of other reasons his friend might be upset.

“Can you fucking not?” Rory was snapped out of his train of thought by an angry grumble from Sam, who was rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hands.

Rory realised immediately that he must have been shining the torch in Sam’s eyes as his thoughts had taken over him. He turned the torch to face away from Sam and sat down on the arm of the couch near Sam’s head.

“Sorry Sammy, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Rory said apologetically, threading his hand into Sam’s hair with the hand not holding his phone.

He looked at Sam properly for the first time since he’d been awake and noticed the red, puffy eyes looking back at him. Rory did not know what had caused Sam’s striking blue eyes to fill with tears, but he suddenly felt a red-hot flash of anger through him.

How _dare_ someone make Sam upset? Whoever it was, they’d have him to answer to, Rory thought.


End file.
